The Vietnamization of delta management: The Mekong Delta Plan and politics of translation in Vietnam

Weger, Jacob

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2019.07.011

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The second difference relates to integrating new knowledge and ideas, in particular the translation and communication of Dutch delta management knowledge, which are more evident in the MDP case. The recommendations regarding 'integrated delta management' and 'living with the floods' for restoring the natural flood dynamic were influenced by Dutch delta management [57,59]. In the WaL case, despite the many design team members from Dutch design firms, consultancy companies and other agencies that participated in the WaL program, the design of the strategic climate solutions was less focused on knowledge translation or adaptation of Dutch delta management as new knowledge and policy ideas.…”

Section: Information Rulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia

Laeni

Brink

Arts

2021

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Policy makers in Southeast Asian flood-vulnerable regions are confronted with various institutional challenges when planning for inclusive flood resilience. This paper focuses on the role of international resilience programs and investigates how these programs can enable institutional transformation. The key question is which institutional conditions promote the development and implementation of inclusive flood resilience strategies by international resilience programs. The Mekong Delta Plan in Vietnam (MDP) and the Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia (WaL) program in Semarang, Indonesia, are selected as the cases for a comparative analysis. To structure the comparative analysis of these programs, the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework is adopted and operationalized for the institutional analysis of inclusive flood resilience planning. The findings illustrate that whereas the MDP was able to involve decision makers from the national government and international financial institutions for mobilizing funding and technical support, the strength of the WaL program was its enabling environment for the cocreation of context-specific flood resilience proposals. Overall, this study concludes that the institutional conditions that enable project financing and the implementation of long-term and integrated flood resilience solutions are determined by engagement with national governments and by ownership of the solutions at both the national and local levels.

show abstract

Section: Information Rulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia

Laeni

Brink

Arts

2021

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The Netherlands has therefore strategically framed 'Dutch delta management' as 'global water solutions'i.e. a broad and diverse set of potential water policy solutions, not only focusing on technical expertise but also on governance approaches (especially the concept of collaboration) for addressing water problems and climate challenges in other delta countries (see also Minkman & van Buuren, 2019;Weger, 2019). The framing of Dutch delta management as 'global water solutions' consists of three major aspects (or language codes): 'delta technology', 'delta governance' and 'Adaptive Delta Management' (NWP, 2014a;NWP, 2014b;The Delta Commission, 2008;Van Alphen, 2015;Zevenbergen et al, 2018).…”

Section: The Creation Of the Dutch Delta Management Frame For Global Water Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resulting Mekong delta management frame is visualized in Figure 3 (consisting of several key language codes), and under the umbrella of agro-business industrialization scenario presents four key components for a safe, prosperous and sustainable Mekong delta. First, the 'high-tech agricultural development model' includes recommendations to invest in specialized aquaculture and a more sustainable use of water resources, to adapt to salinization and limited freshwater resources (see also Seijger et al, 2019;van Staveren et al, 2018;Vo et al, 2019;Weger, 2019). Second, 'longterm scenarios' are related to scenario planning, and are aimed at analysing and describing various potential scenarios for identifying and formulating preferred measures and strategies to achieve the desired vision for the delta.…”

Section: The Mobilization Of the Dutch Delta Management Frame Through Delta Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the OECD (2014), Dutch water management is regarded as an international reference for dealing with water and climate challenges effectively and innovatively. In this context, the international cooperation on the Mekong Delta Plan in Vietnam and the Bangladesh Delta Plan are considered prime examples of the promotion and uptake of the Dutch water management approach in developing countries (Hasan et al, 2019;Weger, 2019;Zevenbergen et al, 2012). This approach helps to analyse how meanings are created and negotiated across borders, and how the key concepts and metaphors that are part of the renowned Dutch water management approach, are interpreted in local practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Going Dutch in the Mekong Delta: a framing perspective on water policy translation

Laeni

Brink

Trell

et al. 2020

Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In response to the rising climatic impacts on worldwide urbanized deltas, the Netherlands has strategically and politically framed Dutch water management as a global water solution for improving water safety and flood protection in other countries such as Vietnam. Being renowned for its water management approach, the Netherlands is particularly active in sharing water knowledge, insights, and policies internationally. This paper connects a framing perspective to policy translation studies to understand the role of language and meaning-making in the cross-border travel of policies. Adopting a framing perspective, it presents four dimensions of water policy translation concerning how policy frames are being created and interpretedduring the cross-border travel. The paper follows the process of the Dutch water management approach being 'packaged' as global water solutions and 'translated' to inform the development of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta Plan of 2013. The results show that although similar concepts, metaphors and narratives could be witnessed in this translation process, the local use and interpretation of these concepts remain challenging. Inclusive engagement, shared and comprehensive understanding, and continuous exchange and learning processes could help to improve cross-border policy-making for sustainable delta management.

show abstract

“…The Dutch water sector has a prominent position in the delta networks and coalitions that are emerging as a result of these initiatives. Yet, there is a slowly growing body of critical scholarship—emerging from diverse fields, including policy studies, water management and governance, urban planning and the anthropology of development—about Dutch interventions and water‐projects in deltas outside of the Netherlands (see e.g., Colven, 2017; Ivars & Venot, 2019; Khalequzzaman, 2016; Laeni et al, 2020; Minkman et al, 2019; Richter, 2019; Shannon, 2019; Vink et al, 2013; Weger, 2019; Yarina, 2018). Some of the critique focuses on the social and ecological impacts of large infrastructural projects that the Dutch help finance, design and implement, particularly questioning how such projects provoke the displacement of people who are already very vulnerable (see Batubara et al, 2018; Richter, 2020; Shannon, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deltas in dialogue: Imagining policy transfer from the Netherlands to Vietnam and Bangladesh as a symmetrical conversation

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on the in‐depth study of the travels of the Dutch Delta Plan—a water‐centered strategic long‐term plan to help prepare for the effects of climate change—to Vietnam and Bangladesh, this article reflects on ways to conceptualize processes of policy transfer. Such processes involve a range of actors and actions, and hinges on the quality of the interactions and (historic) relations between them. All involved contribute experience and knowledge, working in collaboration with each other to somehow—through translation and mutual learning—create a version of the transferred policy that fits its new context. We use the article to imagine policy transfer processes in less hierarchical and more reciprocal terms, not a priori positioning those originating the transfer as superior or more advanced than those on the receiving end. To do this, the article proposes a conceptualization of policy transfer processes as symmetrical conversations: conversations in which many knowers and knowledges are mixed together to co‐produce plans and policies that are relevant and specific. Beyond better acknowledging the importance of the receivers, we hope that this conceptualization will also open up the discussion about what “good” policies (or policy knowledges) are, as well as allow for more explicit reflection about how different knowledges and knowers relate to each other in policy transfer processes. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Planning Water Human Water > Water Governance

show abstract

The Vietnamization of delta management: The Mekong Delta Plan and politics of translation in Vietnam

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia

Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia

Going Dutch in the Mekong Delta: a framing perspective on water policy translation

Deltas in dialogue: Imagining policy transfer from the Netherlands to Vietnam and Bangladesh as a symmetrical conversation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About